The present invention relates to an electric connection box having a protecting function to block the power supply from a vehicle-mounted power source to an electric load at the time of maintaining the electric load.
In the prior art, there are mounted on an automobile a number of electric loads such as a radio or a navigation device. Especially in recent years, the electric loads to be mounted has a tendency to increase more and more. In order to cope with the power capacity of the individual electric loads, a battery of 36 B has also been used in addition of the existing battery of 12 V.
For the works to maintain those electric loads, it is not preferable to leave the individual electric loads supplied with the voltage of the battery. Before the maintaining works, therefore, the power supply to each electric load has to be interrupted by detaching the electric wires in advance from the battery.
Therefore, it is proposed that a protecting device for interrupting the power supply from the battery to each electric load at the maintaining time is attached to the vicinity of the battery through an attaching structure such as a connector. The protecting device is proposed, for example, in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2000-222999 or Hei10-83753. This protecting device is basically arranged in the vicinity of an electric connection box and is electrically connected with the electric connection box through electric wires.
However, the protecting device, as disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2000-222999 or Hei10-83753, is mounted in the engine room while being independent of the electric connection box. Therefore, a structure (or electric wires) for connecting the protecting device and the electric connection box with each other is required to raise a problem that the cost for connecting the protecting device and the electric connection box rises. As the more parts are mounted in the engine room for the higher function of the vehicle, moreover, the space for mounting the protecting device may be unable to be retained in the engine room. As a result, another problem is that it is difficult to mount the protecting device in the engine room.
The present invention is conceived in view of the problems thus far described and has a first object to provide an electric connection box having a protecting function, which can mount a construction corresponding to a protecting device reliably. Moreover, a second object is to provide an electric connection box having a protecting function, which can lower the cost for attaching the construction corresponding to the protecting device.
In order to solve the above-specified objects, according to the invention of Aspect 1, there is provided an electric connection box having a protecting function, comprising a protecting function unit including a stationary unit formed integrally with a box body, and a movable member attached removably to the stationary unit, wherein the supply of an electric power from a vehicle-mounted power source to an electric load is interrupted by removing the movable member from the stationary unit.
In the invention of Aspect 1, according to the invention of Aspect 2, the stationary unit is a mounting recess arranged on the upper side of the box body for housing the movable member.
In the invention of Aspect 2, according to the invention of Aspect 3, that face of the box body, in which the mounting recess is formed, is covered with an upper cover.
In any of the inventions of Aspects 1 to 3, according to the invention of Aspect 4, the movable member is provided with a lever which can be tilted in an opposite direction away from the side of an electric part mounting portion capable of mounting an electric part.
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According to the invention of Aspect 1, the stationary unit constructing the protecting function unit together with the movable member is formed integrally with the box body so that the attaching structure for fixing the protecting function unit need not be manufactured separately of the electric connection box. Therefore, it is possible to lower the cost necessary for mounting the construction corresponding to the protecting device in the electric connection box. According to the invention having the electric connection box provided with the protecting function unit, moreover, the protecting function can be given to the electric connection box even if the space for mounting the protecting device in the engine room cannot be retained. Moreover, the stationary unit is integral with the box body so that the construction for connecting the stationary unit and the box body electrically need not be provided. Thus, it is possible to improve the reliability of the electric connection box.
According to the invention of Aspect 2, the stationary unit is arranged on the upper side of the box body so that the movable member is exposed to an easily visible position at the working time for maintenances. Therefore, it is possible to improve the controllability of the movable member.
On the other hand, the movable member is mounted in the mounting recess so that the portion of the movable member projecting from the box body is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the electric connection box. At this time, the movable member is held not only at its bottom face but also its side faces by the mounting recess. Therefore, it is possible to improve the attaching strength of the movable member. Moreover, the external force hardly acts directly on the movable member thereby to prevent the movable member from being detached by the external force. Therefore, the electric connection between the movable member and the electric connection box can be reliably kept to stabilize the power supply from the vehicle-mounted power source to the electric load. Moreover, the exposed position of the movable member can be reduced to improve the water-proofness of the movable member.
According to the invention of Aspect 3, the movable member and the stationary unit are covered with the upper cover so that the construction having the protecting function can be housed in the electric connection box. Therefore, it is possible to protect the protecting function unit reliably against water.
According to the invention of Aspect 4, the movable member is provided with the lever so that it can be easily attached/detached. Moreover, the lever is tilted in the opposite direction away from the side of the electric part mounting portion so that it can be prevented from obstructing the maintaining works of the electric parts. When the lever is gripped, moreover, the hands of the worker can be prevented from touching the electric parts or the like.